ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Along the quiet banks of the Rio Grande, an ecological battle rages just beneath the surface—one with growing urgency as drought and wildfire risks intensify across New Mexico.

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The enemy is a familiar one: salt cedar, also known as tamarisk. Introduced in the early 1900s to help with riverbank erosion, the invasive shrub has since entrenched itself in the river’s ecosystem for decades, outcompeting native species, depleting water sources with its deep roots, and fueling fires with its flammable leaves, stems, a

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